Finding access and digital preservation solutions for a digitized oral history project: A case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine affordable access and digital preservation solutions for digital collections developed by under-resourced small and mid-size cultural heritage organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a case study of Jeffco Stories, a collection of digitized oral histories created by the Jefferson County Public Library in Colorado. Findings – This paper describes how the Jefferson County Public Library undertook a migration project of its oral history digital collection into an open access platform, Omeka and selected DuraCloud as a hosted digital preservation service. Research limitations/implications – As a case study, this paper is limited to one institution’s experience with selecting access and digital preservation solutions. Practical implications – This paper is relevant to librarians and archivists who are exploring access and preservation solutions for digital collections and to those who are considering migrating to open access content management systems and cloud-based digital preservation solutions. Originality/value – This paper presents a case of a public library and the challenges in finding affordable access and digital preservation solutions for small digital collections.